Walk SF eNewsletter – August 18, 2016 Issue

Posted Thursday August 18, 2016 by Natalie

Mayor’s Office Issues Executive Directive

Last week, Mayor Lee issued an Executive Directive ordering all San Francisco departments to improve safety on City streets through the following specific, near-term actions:

Analyze collision and related data to identify areas where targeted safety investments can improve safety for youth, seniors, and people with disabilities, and collaborate with communities to prioritize projects these vulnerable populations;

Accelerate engineering project delivery schedule to complete a minimum of 13 miles of Vision Zero projects per year, with of the goal of increasing to 18 miles per year

Deliver safety improvements on 7th and 8th Streets in the next nine months;

Reduce speeds and through­ traffic on JFK Drive in the next six months;

Initiating a study of expanded traffic calming and traffic restrictions in Golden Gate Park within the next three months;

Meet Focus on the Five traffic citation goals and publicly reporting progress quarterly;

Implement a comprehensive awareness campaign to build widespread public knowledge of Vision Zero within the next 30 days;

Adopt proven safety features on the City fleet and contracted vehicles by installing telematics on all authorized City vehicles by January 2017; and

The Executive Directive takes effect immediately and also requires the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency track and report quarterly on the actions outlined above.

Given the three traffic-related deaths in June, which robbed Lurilla Harris, Heather Miller and Kate Slattery of their lives, this increased urgency from the Mayor’s Office is a welcome action.

However, it’s important to understand that every 18 hours in San Francisco, someone is killed or seriously injured on our streets, and since Vision Zero was adopted at the beginning of 2014, the City has not yet reduced serious and fatal injuries.

The Directive sends a strong message that Vision Zero is a priority for this administration; that means the City must go farther and work faster to build a safe transportation system. Specifically, the City must complete at least 18 miles of Vision Zero improvements annually if it is to meet its zero traffic deaths by 2024. Moreover, given that eight of the nine people killed while walking this year were seniors or and/or individuals with disabilities (including Lurilla), safety projects must include the most comprehensive and highest-quality WalkFirst treatments available to be effective.

The SFMTA will have its first opportunity to respond appropriately, to the Mayor’s Executive Directive calling for urgency and priority, with the upcoming Taraval project, which is a Vision Zero-identified High Injury Corridor (HIC).

Will the SFMTA fulfill the Mayor’s Directive, or deliver a water-down plan without life-saving transit boarding islands, which are required to make travel safe?

Welcome Walk SF’s New Neighborhood Organizer: Josie Ahrens

Josie is looking forward to meeting community members and learning about your local needs and concerns around walkability and is excited to be the new Neighborhood Organizer, helping to reclaim streets as safe, shared spaces for everyone to enjoy.

Josie will reach out to community members to identify, organize around and advocate for projects that foster walkability, including leading the Green Connections campaign to implement a citywide network of safe, traffic-calmed, and ecologically sustainable streets, which will connect people to parks, open space and the waterfront. Josie will also work to ensure developers are integrating pedestrian safety and walkability into their projects, and will support transformative projects, such as plazas, living alleys, and intersection murals.

She comes to Walk SF from a City Hall Fellow Program at the SFMTA, where she helped coordinate the development of the Agency’s five year $3.4 billion capital budget.Previously, Josie worked as a community organizer advocating for workers’ rights in Los Angeles and affordable housing in Minneapolis.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Urban Studies from Macalester College, Saint Paul.

Having grown up in a union household in Los Angeles, Josie has a deep personal and professional commitment to social justice and equity. When not at work, Josie enjoys exploring the Bay Area on foot and bike, baking pies, and adding to her collection of red shoes. She is also a modern dancer and an active member of the Bay Area Chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ).

Walk SF is excited to have her join the team! Feel free send Josie a welcome!

The Neighborhood Organizer role and the advocacy Josie will support would not be possible without the contributions of Walk SF members — thank you for your support.

Peak2Peak is Over Half Sold Out!

Art by Abe Bingham

Discover hidden stairways, explore new paths, take in breath-taking vistas, and meet people who share your passion to make walking in San Francisco safe for everyone, so our community is healthier and more livable.

Enjoy this unique, day-long hiking adventure across the city, and support Walk SF’s work to reclaim streets as safe, shared spaces everyone can enjoy. This one-of-a-kind, 13+ mile urban trek across 10 peaks, sells out every year!

Rally for Vision Zero and Win Prizes

Join members like Luke Stewart and Erica Mesker, and get friends to sponsor your walk — support Walk SF’s work to win safer streets, and win prizes! It’s as easy as 1-2-3: